1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a web-based information sharing system; and more particularly, to a computer interface enabling companies and consumers to share brand information over the World Wide Web.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Advertising offers value to the consumer by introducing the consumer to new products, about which the consumer would not otherwise be informed. At times, these may even be essential products that substantially benefit the consumer""s health, finances, and quality of life. Notably, over the past fifty years, the nature of advertising has been evolving to reflect the increasing sophistication and technological innovation characteristic of today""s media. To a certain extent, today, advertising can even be characterized as an art form. Advertising has become more pervasive and the consumer""s acceptance of advertising has increased.
One recent advertising development is the use of movies as a medium for brand reinforcement. For example, the popular movie, xe2x80x9cE.T.xe2x80x9d shows a character clearly eating Hershey""s Reese""s Pieces(copyright), rather than a generic chocolate candy. Characters in the movie, xe2x80x9cThe Clientxe2x80x9d, reach for clearly labeled soda products to calm themselves. The movie, the xe2x80x9cMatrixxe2x80x9d features telephones identifiable as Nokia(copyright) brand. Consumers seem to accept this form of advertising, as adding realism to the story a movie has to tell, as long as it doesn""t involve potentially harmful products such as alcohol or cigarettes. In addition, consumers gladly purchase memorabilia related to movies and television shows such as Mickey Mouse watches, E.T. dolls, and Spiderman costumes, which are in and of themselves, a form of advertising. Consumers have adopted advertisements as status goods so that the line between advertisement and product has become blurred.
Most recently, the World Wide Web (Web) has become an additional medium for brand reinforcement. However, studies show that pop-up ads and banner ads, along with unsolicited email, annoy consumers and may provide limited benefit to the advertising companies. Consumers are ready for a method of interacting creatively with brand information, particularly graphical information, over the Web and advertisers are equally anxious for the instant consumer feedback the Web can provide. Advances in software and hardware, as well as an increase in available bandwidth, now make this feasible. In addition, consumers seem to welcome using the Web as a means to share their evaluation of products whether through the form of book reviews on www.amazon.com(copyright) or product evaluations on a wide variety of sites. The prior art describes some attempts to use the Web for sharing information.
Video conferencing was an early attempt to enable users to interact and share documents over the Web. Collaborative video conferencing software currently exists which enables individuals, located at physically dispersed locations, to view the same data over the Web and to modify it. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,777 B1 to Skarbo et al., entitled xe2x80x9cMethod for Web Based Storage and Retrieval of Documents,xe2x80x9d describes a method by which a presenter can share a file with other conference attendees and update the shared document with the changes made to the document during the conference sharing. A document server incorporates a revision control system to allow a history of the documents to be maintained on the server. The server can present a list of current document versions as well as previous versions, thereby allowing the attendees to review the document in all its previous forms.
Also known in the art are networked systems, which enable conference attendees to create or modify information and to share it over the Web. For example, attendees can draw on a whiteboard accessible to all the attendees, using standard geometric shapes such as lines and circles. The attendees can exchange not only text files but also, video, audio, and graphics files. Further, the attendees can communicate via a chat function, which is a real-time, interactive, textual based conference tool that allows attendees to post messages to each other in a shared area. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,091 B1 to Harple et al. entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus for Collaborative Computing.xe2x80x9d
More recently, focus groups, which are discussions that enable marketers to acquire feedback from a group of participants regarding new products, are being conducted over the Web. U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,663 to Davis entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Conducting Focus Groups Using Remotely Loaded Participants Over a Computer Networkxe2x80x9d describes how a chat function can be used to implement a focus group. In the described system, the focus group members, the group moderator, and the client presenting the new product are all located remotely from each other and communicate via the Web. The focus group members can view the messages each member transmits but cannot view the messages the client and moderator transmit to each other.
Consumers are now ready for an online environment in which they can creatively express and communicate their feelings about products as members of a virtual community. Specifically, what the prior art does not provide is a computer network based system that enables the consumer to modify brand information in a way that instantly reflects the consumer""s thoughts, wishes, and desires for what the brand should be, and also rewards the consumer for the consumer""s efforts. Also needed is a computer network based environment for immediately communicating the consumer""s input to both other consumers and the advertiser. Further needed is the ability to easily adapt this system to any brand desired.
The present invention provides a computer network based system and method whereby consumers can interact with brand information and with each other. The invention is implemented over the Web, an intranet, or other network system. Consumers interact with a server, or a plurality of servers, in client server mode, using a standard browser, such as Microsoft Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Each consumer registers as a member and receives an identifying username (handle).
The consumer interacts with a multimedia interface known as the GraffitiWall(trademark), which offers several different types of interaction. In Create Mode, the advertising sponsor or sponsors provide the consumer with a variety of multimedia elements such as audio files, video clips, icons, text, and photographs, which the consumer can place on a virtual Wall(trademark), (GraffitiWall(trademark)), in any way the consumer desires. The elements include information pertaining to the brand, for example, a picture of a bathing suit being offered for sale or being considered for sale as a new product. Elements that the consumer places on the Wall may appear continually or may pop up only when a visitor to the Wall places the visitor""s mouse over a particular object. Consumers can also upload their own objects and place them on the Wall. Consumers are supplied with tools such as a virtual paintbrush, a rotator, and an animator, for example, which a consumer can use to modify any of the objects. The GraffitiWall(trademark) is refreshed periodically so that updates by the individual consumers can be shared.
The consumer can also interact with the GraffitiWall(trademark) in Rate Mode. Consumers can vote on either the entire GraffitiWall(trademark) or a particular are of the Wall. This enables the advertiser to immediately determine what the consumers like and dislike about the brand.
The consumer can also interact with the GraffitiWall(trademark) in Interact Mode. A sponsor places images of new products or new concepts on the Wall for the consumer to review, sample, and rate. The sponsor has control over all information that the consumer sees, and can tailor that information to each individual user. Consumers involved in the rating activity comprise a virtual focus group composed of a plurality of one-to-one interviews and group discussions with the sponsor. The sponsor rewards consumer participants with coupons, samples or other perquisites related to the sponsor""s brand. GraffitiWall(trademark) provides a feedback tool where sponsors can directly communicate with their audience through multimedia.
Interact Mode is also enhanced by guest hosting. The GraffitiWall(trademark) features a celebrity host, who is available to communicate real time with the consumer through a chat. The host interacts with the consumer by inviting the consumer to compete in a special event. For example, a super model host might invite the consumer to participate in a fashion show in which the consumer competes to create the best-dressed model. An image of the super model appears on the GraffitiWall(trademark) along with the samples of the sponsor""s merchandise and the consumer manipulates these elements as the consumer wishes. Not only does this activity create brand excitement and familiarize the consumer with the product available, but also, the sponsor can instantly understand what the consumer deems to be most attractive. An archive of favorite GraffitiWall(trademark) sessions, focus groups and events is available for consumers to review.
The consumer can also interact with the GraffitiWall(trademark) in Send Mode. The consumer can email a hyperlink to a specific GraffitiWall(trademark), in postcard format, to friends and family or to the sponsoring company.
The consumer can also interact with the GraffitiWall(trademark) to participate in special events or games. For example, the GraffitiWall(trademark) may present the consumer with a scavenger hunt interface. The GraffitiWall(trademark) is loaded with many different images and the consumer is presented with clues, which will lead the consumer to locate and uncover surprises related to the sponsored brand, such as images of hidden products.
To attract consumer attention, the GraffitiWall(trademark) also features random events and silly animations. These can include, for example, parades, roller bladders gliding by, or animations of famous dancers.
Among the significant benefits accorded by the GrafittiWall(trademark) are certain enablement and facilitation features, which allows companies to: (i) reinforce their brand equities; (ii) speak directly to their target audience on an ongoing basis; (iii) test new and updated products and services via the Focus Group/Feedback mode; (iv) create an environment, which builds greater customer satisfaction and involvement; (v) build brand communication so customers see and feel the brand as his/her own; and (vi) encourage participation to a brand via purchases and signups by rewarding folks with coupons, samples, and gift certificates. Customers are enabled to express product preferences in a free-form mode using the web based GrafittiWall(trademark) system, which dynamically stores customer inputs and updates it to other users. An ongoing dialogue between business and consumer, as well as consumer-to-consumer, nurtures customer participation, loyalty and satisfaction, and builds a community housed within the company""s brand. The end results spell greater profits and keep companies on the radar; first and foremost in the minds of their customers.